Unless Screw has made a mistake re 2dn, this puzzle must have been compiled last year, or earlier, yet 1dn is currently very topical.
I cannot see anything 7dn yet those expats living 5dn may be somewhat 18dn in view of recent events though the 15dn will be less concerned. Perhaps we will need 23dn to 14ac the 20dn to the national 17dn, though hopefully the 13ac will not raise too much of the second part of 22ac.
I should have been 19ac instead of solving and writing this post whilst dawn breaks, but it was an enjoyable exercise so thanks Screw.
Across
1 Look inside: great ape (11)
COLONOSCOPY – COLON (:) OS (great) COPY (ape)
9 Home truth — a bit attracted to host (7)
HABITAT – hidden in (to host) ‘trutH A BIT ATtracted’
10 Inflamed areas aloe vera treated, very lacking (7)
AREOLAE an anagram (treated) of ALOE [v]ERA
11 Screw’s foot has twisted way towards face (9)
MINESHAFT – MINE (Screw’s) plus an anagram (twisted) of FT HAS
12 One sumo wrestling in Finland, as locals would say (5)
SUOMI – an anagram (wrestling) of I SUMO
13 Info‘s slightly retrospective (4)
DATA – A TAD (slightly) reversed (retrospective)
14 Follow beat, spoken in different pattern (4,4,2)
KEEP TABS ON – an anagram (in different pattern) of BEAT SPOKEN
16 Every other air raid with drop is dazzling (10)
IRIDESCENT – [a]I[r] R[a]I[d] (every other air raid) DESCENT (drop)
19 Honest chap ultimately skewered Kipper’s situation (4)
ABED – ABE (honest chap {Lincoln}) [skewere]D (ultimately skewered)
21 Belting / main inhabitant (5)
BRILL – double def.
22 In France, the slicing weapon’s reason for 999 call? (4,5)
FIRE ALARM – LA (in France, the) in (slicing) FIREARM (weapon)
24 Her supply, with a lot in seedy place (7)
RATHOLE – an anagram (supply) of HER A LOT
25 Picturing Prince Harry’s admission, without the Queen (7)
IMAGING – I’M A GING[er] (Prince Harry’s admission, without the Queen)
26 Space that may be let for dining option (4,7)
ROOM SERVICE – ROOM (space) SERVICE (that may be let {tennis})
Down
1 May has been one time I can be away (rest, I’m in plays) (7,8)
CABINET MINISTER – an anagram (away) of T I CAN BE plus an anagram (plays) of REST I’M IN – surely this should be ‘is one’ not ‘has been one’ as she has not been elevated to PM (as yet).
2 GP team starts to treat unlikely symptoms by the book, briefly (5)
LOTUS – LO[g] (book briefly) T[reat] U[nlikely] S[ymptoms] (starts to treat unlikely symptoms) – this puzzle must have been compiled last year, or earlier, because LOTUS was only a F1 team between 2012 and 2015. It has been renamed Renault Sport F1 for the 2016 season.
3 Compound tax for dummies? (7)
NITRATE – NIT RATE (tax for dummies)
4 Fledgling business in sheep, the main attraction! (5-2)
START-UP – STAR TUP (sheep, the main attraction)
5 On mobile, manages abroad (8)
OVERSEAS – sounds like (on mobile) ‘oversees’ (manages)
6 New Labour’s Lie (my original film) (6,9)
YELLOW SUBMARINE – an anagram (original) of NEW LABOUR’S LIE MY
7 Where Sicilians are provided with one motive (6)
THEMED – THE MED (where Sicilians are)
8 Support in boxing ring for army (6)
LEGION – LEG (support) plus IN around (boxing) O (ring)
15 Rolling performance after mine (4-2-2)
WELL-TO-DO – WELL (mine) TO-DO (performance)
16 Native to steal from raised local houses (6)
INBORN – INN (local) around (houses) ROB (to steal from) reversed (raised)
17 Reported those hacking into bank (7)
COFFERS – sounds like (reported) ‘coughers’ (those hacking)
18 More on edge, close to canyon — mistake to film struggle (7)
NERVIER – [canyo]N (close to canyon) plus ERR (mistake) around (to film) VIE (struggle)
20 How long mother’s been alive to harm (6)
DAMAGE – DAM AGE (how long mother’s been alive)
23 Counters one clique’s cut with recession (5)
ABACI – I (one) CABA[l] (clique’s cut) reversed (with recession)
Top stuff. thanks for explanation of 25, the only one I hadnt fully parsed (“a ginger’ sounds a bit odd)
No trouble about 2d-it didnt say current GP team.
Thanks @ Gaufrid.
Thanks Screw and Gaufrid
Slightly delayed by having a “hidden” (“slightly”) SPEC for 12a (just as valid without crossers, though a bit more obvious!). I missed the COLON and the LO(g); otherwise relatively easy for a Screw puzzle.
Thanks, Gaufrid.
4d in the paper edition is: “Fledgling business in sheep, the one we’re here for!”, which didn’t quite make sense to me – I prefer the on-line version.
I liked 1ac once I cheated on it.
Thanks Screw & Gaufrid.
Very entertaining puzzle, a bit easier than some of Screw’s, I thought.
I particularly liked the I’M A GINGer.
P.S. CABINET MINISTER KEEP(s) TABS ON DATA may be May’s Snooper’s Charter.
Had to look up both definitions for brill. Am I right, one is British slang, and the other a fish?
1A favourite. Didn’t get 25 at the time. Tickled by the parsing, thankyou Gaufrid. And thanks Screw. Pleasant distraction after Brexit and as Australia goes into an election tomorrow.
Really enjoyed your blog, Gaufrid, and your use of all those answers from the grid to comment on the current situation in your country. It can’t be an easy time to stay upbeat.
A good puzzle from Screw but I could only solve the SE, with a smattering of other words throughout, so I had to come here to appreciate fully its cleverness.
Thanks to setter, blogger and the community for the mental stimulation. Grateful.
Yes paddymelon@6; we live in interesting times for both our countries.
BTW, by way of a P.S., one small consolation was that I did get 25a IMAGING, and even understood the parsing!
paddymelon @6
Yes, you are right. BRILL is a short form of ‘brilliant’ (Chambers gives it as ‘informal’ rather than slang) and also a relative of the turbot.
Thanks to Screw and Gaufrid. I had my usual difficulty with this setter but, after a very slow start, did finish eventually with a lot of guessing. E.g., I missed the tennis link to ROOM SERVICE, the quote behind IMAGING, and the well-mine link of WELL-TO-DO and took a long time before seeing BRILL and KEEP TABS ON.
Thank you Screw for a 21a crossword and Gaufrid for the blog with its 7d introduction.
GINGer cats signify luck in money and business; Prince Harry is WELL-TO-DO and in The Firm.
Tricky but very entertaining – some very devious definitions
Thanks to Screw and Gaufrid
Thanks both. Not sure about 18d – does “to film” mean enclose?
Fairly hard work, but enjoyable nevertheless. LEGION and COLONSOCOPY my favourites – we’ve had : as part of a charade recently elsewhere I think. Missed Harry = ginger in 25a, that’s how much I know about the royals.
Good fun finishing this one in time for my siesta. Thanks to everyone concerned.
Trailman @14
we’ve had : as part of a charade recently elsewhere I think
Yes – in the clue for COLONSAY in the Scottich Islands Prize a couple ago.
Thanks muffin!
I got it that time and missed it this time, though!
Solved with my wife’s help.
Hard for me.
Mixed bag: some clues good fun; some not at all satisfying.
Tricky in places but mostly enjoyable. I had to guess LOTUS but having the initial letter plus TUS meant it was unlikely to be wrong. I cringed a little at COLONOSCOPY, having had one about eighteen months ago- not a fun afternoon! Some goodies though. I liked IRIDESCENT,THE MED and MINESHAFT. Actually, I guessed SUOMI as well as it was obviously an anagram.
Thanks Screw.
A slow but steady solve early this morning; some nice surfaces & clever misdirection. My last one in, and subsequent favourite, was “colonoscopy”, where, as usual, the clever use of the punctuation mark caught me out.
[This word shouldn’t have been a problem to me as I’d been discussing the procedure (like you do!) with a friend only yesterday.]
Thanks to Screw & Gaufrid.
Shirl @13, since no one more competent than me has replied, I assumed “film” meant to enclose with plastic cling wrap used in the kitchen…
Enjoyable and not too difficult, though I couldn’t parse IMAGING or the LO[g] in LOTUS and I had to check that definition of AREOLAE online as it was new to me. Favourites included COLONOSCOPY, CABINET MINISTER and YELLOW SUBMARINE.
Thanks, Screw and Gaufrid.
Thanks Gaufrud and Screw. That sense of AREOLAE was new to me also: I must try and stay abreast of these things.
A Relatively straightforward and fun solve, Though I question the identity of ‘mine’ and ‘well’.
Top stuff – these puzzles are getting to be so good I almost feel like having a cigarette afterwards.
1d Theresa May has been a cabinet minister for six years.
Omit some detail:
Theresa May has been a cabinet minister
I know that’s like the mathematician, on his return from the maternity hospital, being asked “Was it a boy or a girl?” and replying “Yes” – but it’s logical – if not common-sensical.
Thanks all.
@Gonzo #24
Yes – minor quibble – I wasn’t well pleased with that at the time . I see now that Collins gives:
“9. a source, esp one that provides a continuous supply ? he is a well of knowledge”
cf a mine of information
I imagine that might be where it came from. But it’s a departure frim his normal style. Stretched synonyms I’m never keen on – curly use of plain words does it for me every time.
As no-one else appears to have mentioned it, I’m pleased to let you know that your preferred version of 1dn is precisely as the printed one. Whilst that clue is an improvement on paper, 4dn is weaker (cf. comment@3). All rather strange….
An enjoyable puzzle though not the best Screw (hardly surprising given the airy heights to which he can raise his bar!) Many thanks.
[Sorry to hear of the incursion into your beauty sleep; I’ve always thought the rush to publish the 225 blog an order both tall and unnecessary….?! Do
have a deservedly pleasant weekend.]
Thanks Gaufrid – we hope you have managed to sleep in this morning!
We’ve just finished the puzzle this morning. Good stuff from Screw. When we noticed that he had a crossword in the Guardian yesterday we chose to complete that one first – apologies to Phi!
We had LO(t) as the book – just shows you how much we know about the Bible.
NITRATE was the clue that raised a smile.
Thanks Screw.
I preferred the blog to the puzzle.
Bit late here. Guests and the start of a holiday delayed matters. Just wanted to pop in to say thank you for the blog Gaufrid. It lightened my heart which has been heavy for the past week.
And thank you for the puzzle Screw.
Thanks Screw and special thanks to Gaufrid for the entertaining intro.
I too enjoyed this with a good selection of styles and precise clues.
Maybe 1dn has been written with foresight?
Thanks Screw and Gaufrid
Another good challenge from Screw with a good mix of clue devices as Hamish says @31. Was able to get off to a good start in the NE with AREOLAE (which I had to check) and then SUOMI (from my days of collecting stamps as a youngster – I wonder whatever happened to them all – 50 years on they may even have been worth something !!). Anyway, was able to continue to slowly work my way through the grid until I ended up in the NW corner with NITRATE, MINESHAFT and the clever THEMED as the last one in.
Particularly liked DATA, IMAGING (when I finally worked out the wordplay) and THEMED.
Also enjoyed reading through the preface of the blog … quite amusing !